the first president since 19. the rising hate in racial and religious attacks. and officials declare gas leek

officially over. . >> 14 months ago president obama made an announcement that a new era was at hand for united states and cuba. in a few weeks president obama will enter the era. the white house says the president will visit havana and meat with president castro. >> reporter: president obama has been laying the ground work for the visit for more than a year, now he's going ahead and making a presidential trip to cuba. >> thursday, president obama made it official, with this tweet: along with the historic visit first lady michelle obama. mr obama is looking forward to the trip. it will be the first time since

1928 a sitting u.s. president visited cuba. the trip comes after an opening. in brokered talks by the vatican, and after an handshake with raul castro at a summit in panama. flags from raised at the embassies in washington and havana, bringing normal diplomatic relations for the first time in 54 years. president obama says it is part of the overall effort to force the castro regime to loosen its grip. >> we'll be in a better position to support rights and the people. and to raise the issue directly. >> president obama planned to meet with raul castro, but there are no plans to meet with brother fidel, citing a lack of time. most republican oppose normalization, and have attacked

the premise of the visit. >> i think it's a mistake. i think the president should instead push for a free cuba. 90 miles off the coast of america, and to go there and essentially act as an apoll gip. >> the cuban government is oppressive, but now was access to billions of resources that they didn't have access to before. >> opponents like senator marco rubio said the number of dissidents arrested in cuba has gone up not down. the white house agrees that regimes have not gone forward. there was 50 years before, failing to change anything. >> we believe dramatically, economically, and militarily it will be to the benefit of the people. the white house insisted that the precondition is a right to meet with dissidents groups,

civil rights groups. those meetings will go forward when the president visits on the 24th and 22nd. >> donald trump's criticism of the pope has turned understood a war of words. the republican started it last week when he said that this immigration was along the border. pope francis responded when asked on his trip to the vatican. >> a person that things about building walls and not bridges, wherever they may be is not christian trump's responded to the pope's comment in south carolina was fast and furious. >> if and when the vatican is tapped by ushers, which is i.s.i.s.'s ultimate trophy, i can prom ills you that the pope would have wish and prayed that donald trump would have been president. trump said a religious leader

questioning a person's faith is disgraceful. now, at the bottom of the hour, a conversation with one of donald trump's biggest supporters. a south carolina pastor who does not fit the mould. it'sal wild ride that you won't -- it's a wild ride that you won't want to miss. the field is in south carolina, preparing for the primary. the campaign has taken a nasty turn. lisa stark is live in columbia for us tonight. >> reporter: well, you know, all the republican candidates have been stressing christian values. it's not surprising that the primary is the first in the bible belt state. also in the state. south carolina, the candidate campaigns for being well-known. >> reporter: south carolinans are known for a gentile style.

when it doo-- comes to politicst doesn't matter. >> it's funny, we are people that smile, but when it comes to politics, we come behind your back with a knife. >> reporter: a candidate referred to it as a demolition derby. >> you are the biggest liar, probably worse than jed bush. >> this is a man that submits his way to the phnom nation. >> he's lying about -- nomination. >> he's lying about marriage... >> reporter: it's not just what you hear in public that you here about politics. it's the dirty strikes, innuendos and whisper campaigns. it stems from the importance of the first in the south primary. >> when the stakes are high, that's when a lot of campaigns take risk and live on the edge and do what they should do. that's when the third party group decides it's time to pull the trigger on some of the

stuff. >> rubio's campaign says he and the victim have underhanded attacks. including a fake photo on the website. showing rubio shaking hands with president obama. >> they are making things up. literally making up a picture. >> there's a related facebook post claiming that the congressman was retracting his endorsement of rubio, and throwing his support to cruise. >> not true. >> don't mix my fell junior south carolinans -- fellow south carolinans and then photos and photoshopping pictures. you are better than that. rubio and cruz accused it other of push-polls, from pollsters and political artists trying to mislead and way voters. >> the one hope of doing well is to make false attacks with no

basis whatsoever. i will note that the one person we know has done a push-poll, is senator marco rubio. >> reporter: a fake telephone poll was used against john mccain in his race to the presidential race, claiming he had a black daughter. he and his wife adopted a daughter. there was suggestion that a mormon candidate supported polygamy. that was then, now there's time still for the low blows to be delivered. >> when you come to south carolina, it's a blood sport. you have to be prepared and nicky knows first hand. when she ran first time, there

was a campaign accusing her of infidelity. also, when i talked to bruce haines, that political strat eejist, it doesn't seem that it's been that bad. he says hey, we have days left and it often comes at the end of the campaign. he said you better duck. >> so how effective is - since it happens all the time. how effective is all this negative campaigning. >> i've been told it's hard to tease out the tect that this might -- effect that this might have. they wonder if this will have less of an effect. in the days of social media it's easy for campaigns to try to take down the rumours and say this is it false. >> good stuff. lisa stark in columbia covering the nasty campaigning there the republicans got out in south carolina, the democrats battle in nevada.

the state holds the democratic caucuses in two days. hillary clinton and bernie sanders are locked in a tight race. tonight the candidates will participate in a town hall meeting. michael shure is live in las vegas. this becomes an important event doesn't it. >> it becomes an important event for the momentum that bernie sanders tries to keep after. it's a place where it's cut off bernie sanders. if hillary clinton does well. notoriously it's difficult to pull. because it's got such a transient population here. there are so many people moving in and out of the state. so many speaking different languages, polling companies do not put the money into polling nevada as in other states. because of that no one knows what is going to come out of the

caucuses. we know that latinos are a key voting block for democrats. how clinton and sanders doing when it comes to that group. >> hillary clinton has a campaign, a latino outreach here. in the past. she's been in nevada and speaking to those latin americans worried about the deferred action for children, immigrants here. so the whole idea that scalya's tat is open, and the -- seat is open, and the clinton campaign is saying i'm with the dreamers, with you all, that's why the deal is important. sanders is trying to reach the millennials, 4% of the population, 44% of the latino occupation of the state are millennials. that is the bread and butter. they reached out to them.

it means the oman, he likes that michael shure in las vegas. a bit of a spanish flare. thank you. the top opposition candidate in the presidential election was arrested after he was detained after reports of voter fraud. he was released without charge. the government shutdown all social media sites. the election has been plagued by delays as well as clashes between police and voters. the current visit has been there for 40 years. turkey wasted no time retalia retaliating against those this hold responsible for the bombing in ankara. turkish war planes struck kurdish christians in northern iraq. we have this report from turkey's capital.

>> reporter: it took turkey's government a few hours to release who was responsible for the attack, calling it the y.p.g. but they deny involvement in the explosion. >> i think it was... >> translation: the attack continues. nine linked to the ankara bombing have been taken into cuffed others have been identified. there'll be other rests in due cores. it's more and more a concern. in october, a bomb attack killed close to 100 people outside a train station in ankara. a few weeks ago i.s.i.l. claimed responsibility after a man gloou himself up after a dark side

popular with tourists. al this in syria. as far as the u.s. and other western powers are concerned there are allies in the war against i.s.i.l. the international community ut must go over that policy. >> the y.p.g. in the north, and the link to p.k.k. in turkey touched. there's a struggle between them. obviously it will help allies understand. evidence of those links, and one day the terrorist organizations will be judged. >> early on thursday, turkish operatives bombed tarts. ankara has been shelling forces for weeks. it wants to send ground troops to create a buffer zone.

syria and russian allies control the sky. that teems to be on the table. unless n.a.t.o. and their partners support them. attacks include increased anger. the governments feel that it's been let down by the u.s. and n.a.t.o. the position towards certainian the difference of opinion is likely to remain. >> next on the programme - hate in america. a report on the matters dividing countries along racial and ethnic lines. >> a bt supervisor goes before a judge for his alleged role in judge for his alleged role in the deep water horizon

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it lets you switch seamlessly from your desk phone to your mobile with no interruptions. i've never felt so alive. make your business phone mobile with voice mobility. comcast business. built for business. the highest court delays the trials of five baltimore police officers charged in the death of freddie gray. the state's court appealed. both appellate proceedings resolve on a key issue, whether officer william porter whose trial resulted in a mistrial could be forced to testify against other officers while awaiting hits trial. >> freddie gray died whilst riding in a police van the number of hate groups

declined. and it coincides with an increase in an indemramentry speech in politics. roxana is here with more. >> the center says the number of those attacking people baf on race, religion grew by 14%, blaming a polarized nation and politicians that fuel people's anger. >> reporter: in charleston south carolina, white supremacists are accused of killing nine at a bible study. >> we have no idea his motivation behind the shooting in chattin@a four milt -- chattin agoa four officers were kill. and in the springs three were killed. the poverty law center says the examples are of political violence. it coincides with the number of hate groups across the u.s.

it jumped from 800 to 900 last year. an increase of 14%. the group says the clu clasp clan erupted after a church shooting in south carolina. numbers more than doubled to 190 groups. the report also says the number of black separatist hate groups are growing, energized by shootings of black men. the groups are motivated by racially based said red and seek a separate nation. they reported a rise in anti-muslim behaviour. like fees ace on the door of the mosque. the group says it follows the attacks in paris as well as fiery rhetoric by some

candidates. >> donald trump is calling for a shut down of muslims entering the united states until our company representatives figure out what the hell is going on. >> we reached out to donald trump's campaign but did not get a response. the reported hate crime dropped in the u.s. it's warned that the statistics could be lower than the actual figure. >> appreciate it, thank you. mark is a senior fellow with the southern poverty law center. mark, as always, good to speak with you. first, were you surprised by the findings in the eightest report. and how you go about explain the rise in hate groups, 14 or more in 2015, than in 2014? >> well i can't say i was

surprised, simply because it's been a remarkable year in 12 months. last year it was an incredible amount of violence, real anger in the electorate. and the injection of political main stream, an amount of hatred i think that it is happening, it is really a hate group, with a number of perfect storm factors. there's a major demographic change in the country. whites are set to lose the majority, by 2043, according to the sensis bureau. the white working class in particular in this country, i think, is angry about falling wages, rising income and inequality. in addition we have huge

cultural changes like the advent of same-sex marriage. >> as you know hate speech can turn to hate crime. let me play a bit of an interview with frasier, who set out on a killing spree in oakland park and we'll talk about it. >> i started out at 1 o'clock. >> reporter: why, why 1 o'clock? >> because they were having a talent contest. young jews from all over participate. that's why i went there. i'm not going to die without taking some jews with me in your years of doing this work, have you finishgured out answer to the question why the scaim getting. the groups. it was a case of glen miller with his life.

and failings in his life? >> look, these kinds of matters have probably been since the beginning of modern humanity. and i think it's sad to say it will always be with us. on the other hand, you take a guy like frasier, and you are talking about a person who is, i think, completely irrationally focused in on the jews, was people who are doing all the misery in the world. and i think that that comes out of a hugely long tradition, you know, real anti-semitism has been with us for over 1,000 years, and miller. who is not the smartest guy on the block simply absorbed the idea that there really is a villain, it's not just his own sad life, or others, failing to do much with their existence on the planet. but it must be a group of evil

people. >> how powerful the internet in building hate communities, i'm thinking, of course. of dylan roof. >> more and more important is the short answer. it used to be out of the question that you could radicalize someone to the point of going out and killing others through a computer screen, through the internet. then, of course, massimilano allegri had successes and in particular, the islamic state did very well at radicalizing people flow the internet. dylann roof may be one of the extraordinary cases in the sense that he was not community with anyone by email. he was going up on the websites, reading propaganda that confirmed his prejudices on black on white crime and

deciding to act. as young people are more and more living in the world of the internet. they don't read newspapers or magazines, they are more likely to see more and more people like dylann roof. people coming out of the blue. >> how do they respond to the criticism that the organization only goes after conversation groups. >> what i say is this. we are working with an organization part of the civil rights movement. we are built around the idea of defending the 14th amendment to the constitution. that leads us to a study of political rights in general. i'm not about to deny a left wing political wing. it's obvious. to the late '60s, early '70s,

and so on. as a matter of reality today, there is very little in the way of extremism on the political left. >> good to have you on the programme. >> a real pleasure, thanks for having mean. >> still ahead - breaking the mould. >> we see a heart rule. it's how he has been portrayed to be yes, my conversation with a south carolina past jor who is a fervent supporter of donald trump. and developments in relation to the leaking gas well in south

carolina. california's state officials say after months of trying, the methane leak in porta ranch has been sealed. california gas will do all it can to mitigate the damage caused. we have had report from los angeles. >> it's the long-awaited news thousands ever families have to weigh in to hear. >> we have good news that division oil and gas confirmed that the leak in the storage field is permanently sealed. >> for nearly four months methane has been fouling the air of the porta ranch california. after a massive week at the storage facility. 12,000 people forced to move. two schools were shut down, residents say the stench made them stick.

>> this is for my little boy. this is what he's taking to migraines. this is my younger son's inhaler. he's had asthma attacks. >> officials sought to reassure residents. >> air quality has returned. >> now the job of moving families back home. under an agreement between socalgas and the attorney-general's office, they'll have weeks to return home. residents that moved into rental stay. for some and amonja forced to move. it's taken its toll. . >> very difficult. i had a 3-year-old saying mummy, i want to go home. every day it's hard. >> the leek could be over, but the gat company's trials are beginnings. for charges have been filed against socalgas, including for

waiting three days to report the leak and releasing contaminants into the air. the company saw dozens of lawsuits by residents, where shutting down a ruptured well was not good enough. they want the storage facility shuttered for good. >> i will not be happy until the facility is shut and the wells moved to some other place, where it's not a community like anyone. >> the leak has been called the worst environmental disaster since the b.p. oil spill. after visiting the site on tuesday, u.s. energy secretary said new preventative regulations are needed. we have to push on what the president put into his climate action fan, looking at the

entire system as investigators work to figure out what caused the blow-out. lawmakers call for 24/7 monitoring of the site. one well is capped. there's 140 more potentially dangerous wells in the neighbourhood the pope may have opened the door for the use of contraception to stop the use of the zika virus. pope francis said avoiding pregnancy is not legal. but certain matters could be taken. pope francis and donald trump engaged in a war of words over trump's idea of building a wall along the u.s. border with mexico. trump took it personally. >> this man is not christian if he says things like that. in this i give the benefit of

the doubt. >> and i'm a very good christian, because the bible said something to the effect that may be donald trump is not christian, pope said. and he is questioning my faith. i'm surprised. but i am a christian. i'm proud of it trump described the pope's remarks as disgraceful pastor mike burns joins me from south carolina. good to have you on the programme. i'm curious, given all that has happened - it's a pleasure - i need to hear you out on this. given all that happened with trump since you were here, with other clergy members and saying that black lives matters. that a chontor was roughed up in

the aftermath of an event. called to ban muslims, as you know... ..tell me why you support donald trump. >> i think... >> it's worse in the... >> it's shaping the opinions being this racist and bigot. what happened today is the pope says it's... ..mr trump supported more african-americans through the creation of jobs and... >> how on earth do you support that? >> well, his place of employment is diverse.

mail, female, hispanics, young and old. >> you are saying more than. you are making - you are saying more than. you are making a database argument with the data. you can't do that. you talk anecdotally. >> i've been teaching and preaching that you should vote facts and suggesting that it makes... >> you have support that he has... ..that is part of the problem. there are those that have been dealt wrong by those of different races. those of us in the african american community, those of us that have been part of incarceration, that have been killed and police have not been able to accountant - those of us that have not received permission or jobs. remember, you are speaking to african-americans. i'm fro the south. to suggest that i don't even recognise real racism...

>> i'm suggesting that you make a database argument without supplying data. >> it's a physical occasion. she has six beautifully mixed children. >> what has any of that got to do with the discussion we are having? >> it has everything to do with it. because my view an donald trump... >> i'm challenging you. >> because donald trump is portrayed as a racist and a bigot why is the man you are supporting retreating anything by someone that goes by the name light jessi tim. >> he has apologised for things that could have been miscontrued as racial tension and division. >> that was the reason i was

there in the first place, i like millions of african-americans at the time. who have never been in a resume with donald trump, and never, those african-american and skeptics... >> the pope grid sizing donald trump. you mentioned it. saying a person who thinks only about building walls and not building bridges is not christian. here is what i'm going to ask you to do. remove donald trump from critique. you're right. he didn't mention trump by name. be get that it was a critique of donald trump. >> sure. >> remove donald trump from the critique. would you agree with what the pope is saying here? >> as i said before. i'm a little confused. i think the focus needs to be on how the mexican government was

utilized. >> so the mexican government now has viewed the pope. >> i think it's sad to have the - the mexican government has been cleared to have the american government. in reference to not protecting borders. i believe that the pope, who is without question the holy person that we adore and respect and honour, is giving information which is a little confusing because the vatican is surrounded by a 4-foot wall. >> you seem to be suggesting that the holy father has been brainwatch the by the mexican government. you don't need to do that, do you. >> no, no, no. i never said the holy father was brainwatched. mr trump made it clear that he

desires to be a bridge builder, to have better relationships with russia, to have better relationships with those. >> how about with the muslim community in america. does he wish to be a bridge builder with that community? >> never spoke anything ill against the muslim american community. mr trump spoke about muslims who are not a part of constitution, protected by the constitution of the united states of america. they were people who were not citizens of the united states of america. >> you don't think that blanket statement alienates mr trump from muslim americans? >> i can see how it can be interpreted. you do a great job in taking bits and pieces of mr trump says and running with it. making statements like that as though he is out to alienate.

there are millions of muslim americans. >> what about the critique that the man does not have the temperament to be president. that he resorts no childish name calling when challenged. with donald trump, what you see is what you get. >> he admitted that he is bold enough to say publicly what millions of americans who have been whispering about. that's what they are getting. donald trump is not a politician. they say that he does not have the sound bites. he is not the - the politician who knows what to say which baby to kiss. >> and in your mind that is the man, and in your mind that is the han that should be the next -- man that should be the next leader of the free world. >> i believe he is a man that

will do what he says he'll doe. -- he'll do. >> six years after the b.p. oil spill in the gulf of mexico, a former supervisor is on trial in new orleans. robert is no longer faces manslaughter charges, and is accused of a count of pollution. we go live to new orleans, and we have more on this case. jonathan. >> season to you. so far in this trial federal prosecutors say that robert is partly to blame for the oil drilling disaster that we remember. they say that he ignored serious warning flags, signs of pressure tests that day, including saying that the supervisor was sealed off from leaks, but there was

upward pressure from the oil and gas, and we remember what happened six years ago when the b.p. macondo well exploded, killing 11, spewing 100 million litres of water in many, many days. his lawyer said he did not make the choices. they said he was the day time supervisor, and before the tests were taken or decisions taken, he was off the clock, so they don't believe he should be responsible. and the rig did not do some. five year maintenance workers, so they should not be held responsible. it is one count of the clean water act. if he is convicted, he could face a year in prison. the case has been watched closely. it is the last criminal case tied to that 2010 pb oil spill

disaster. the three pb employees charged, theirs cases are essentially unravelling in court by skeptical jurors. and at this point no one has gone to gaol, when we talk about a criminal charge. we'll see if that is the case. the trial is going on now here. it is expected to last for the next week and a half or so. and i can tell you that b.p. have paid out there 20 million in damages as a company. it's a specific charge related to this one person. >> got you. jonathan martin in new orleans. good and bad news. on bridges and highway overpasses, plenty are in bad shape. fewer than previous year. a report from the american road and transportation road users

association. found 2500 fewer bridges were structurally deficient than in 2015. and 45 hunt fewer than the year before that. all the 609,000 bridges more than 58,000 of them need repair, they are the figures. that is nearly 10%. still ahead - hospice for the homeless, a programme helping those that are sick and on the street find some comfort. >> splash down, a helicopter crash near a well-known military monument.

so take a look at this, a chopper crash in hawaii, caught on camera, the civilian helicopter went down in the waters off pearl harbour. five from on board. one is critically injured. one more time. it is not known what went wrong a number of americans are choosing to die at home with the help of hospice care. in salt lake city death with dignity has been extended out of home. the in between is a place for terminally ill homeless people to spend final days in comfort. >> chaos and pain. salt lake city's homeless. but for the most vulnerable,

there's comfort inside the former convent. this man struggles with pain caused by stage 4 bladder cancer. the 60-year-old was diagnosed last fall. the same day he lost his apartment and wound up on the street. >> i was just in shock. you know. for a little bit there. and i accepted it, you know. i asked to come here. >> here is the in between, a hospice for the terminally ill homeless, one of a few like it in the u.s. >> dinner is ready, robert. >> it opened last summer. residents have their own rooms. they get home-cooked meals served by volunteers. and a calming companionship rarely found on the streets.

[ singing ] >> reporter: it runs entirely on donations. local food pantries keep the kitchen stocked and cash donations keep the lights on and pay staff. it covers hospice care, but not housing. many terminally ill homeless are not treated for the pain. >> they require medication, medical equipment, hospice care. that are tough deliver in the shelter environment where it's a three-high bunk bed. and the person may be on the bottom. >> homeless people face the same issues at the general public, sometimes 3-5 times higher. illnesses like hypertension, heart disease and diabetes can be made worse, and in some cases exposure to the elements.

>> sometimes it can reverse damage. the once strapping 42-year-old arrived at the in between have few months ago, dying from liver failure. but medical care from a doctor. abstaining from alcohol became a path to recovery. >> i have bad liver and kidneys, i'm functional. before you could barely talk to me, i was out of it. for those patient that reached the end of life. family staff and volunteers gathered to celebrate their lives. on this day they remembered 62-year-old candice cow else. >> i was honoured to get to know candice in the last stage of her life. she was very special. jim adams said the in between provided him comfort, a chance to reconnect with his daughter and a sense of peace.

>> how important is it for you to be here? >> i would be gone if this wasn't here next - life on the border. an international film festival, a film about and directed by children plifg in syrian -- living in syrian refugee camps.

al jazeera america. >> we're here to fully get into the nuances of everything that's going on, not just in this country, but around the world. >> what, as if there were no cameras here, would be the best solution? >> this goes to the heart of the argument. >> to tell you the stories that others won't cover. how big do you see this getting? getting the news from the people who are affected. >> people need to demand reform... >> we're here to provide

the analysis... the context... and the reporting that allows you to make sense of your world. >> ali velshi on target. president obama signed tougher sanctions on north korea into law. punishing regime for the nuclear test and rocket launch. and according to a governmental watchdog group, the military is not capable of protecting the country from a ballistic missile attack from north korea or iran. they need testing and billions in tixers.

it is debated. david cameron is trying to reform a package that he can sell to constituents back home. >> there are so much key demands. >> we have important work to do today and tomorrow. if we can get a good deal. i will not take a deal that doesn't meet what we need. it's important to get it right. with goodwill, hard work, we can get the deal. >> a referendum to keep britain in the e.u. the berlin film festival hosting a film. the directors will not be attending because the directors of children living in champs in the middle east. al jazeera and nadim baba

reports. >> reporter: strictly speak, it's not a documentary. but it's probably as close as you can get to experiencing the refugee camp without travelling to the turkish syrian border. life on the border was fixed by eight children living in syria and iraq. a group of filmed makers talking to the cameras. and some of the stories that they learnt were too traumatic to show. >> some of the things, we wanted to give them the avenue to talk about themselves. we want them to show this story, what's happened. it two times happened to them.

>> reporter: the movie features harrowing scenes like where the director and his sister return to kobani looking for their parents home. but there are light elements too, like when they see a hollywood blockbuster. now the children's form is getting a special screening. >> it goes against regulations, we don't screen films made by children. this was so strong, and the theme is so strong, and what is coming out is so strong. and we need to show it in berlin, and created a platform for it. >> the experience was an intense

one. for one member he is seeking assail um in germany. >> i believe kurdistan, i went to turkey and yees by vote. it's hard for me to do the work. >> this ha become cav cal since taking in a million refugees. the festival is providing a reminder of conditions left behind. >> so it's a nasty time of year for a small town in australia. residents in wangarratta are up to their heads in tumble weed. the plant press is often swept in. they could get lost in it. residents doing everything they can to remove it from their homes.

gotta go. that's it. i'm tony harris. adam may is up next with news now we begin with the battle for south carolina, the primary is two days away and the primary campaign getting intense. it is known for a rough and tumble politics, this year is no exception. lisa stark joins us from colombus, south carolina. hi, thinks are getting nasty -- things are getting nasty down there. >> you know republican can't dates are -- candidates are ratcheting it